Period_____
Name
Battle of Vicksburg 1863
By Mary L. Bushong
The city of Vicksburg in
Mississippi was considered
the hinge point between the
two halves of the Civil
War: the east and the west.
General Ulysses S. Grant,
of the Union army, was
convinced that the key to
winning the war was the
control of Vicksburg which
sat right on the banks of the
Mississippi River. His first
expeditions were failures, but Grant didn't give up.
Finally, he devised a complicated plan. First, Grant marched his
troops some 25 miles south of Vicksburg. They crossed through
swamps and bayous [pronounced BY-yoos]. There, Union gunboats
met them. They had run past the gun batteries at Vicksburg on a
moonless night to aid the army. Their job was to ferry the entire
Union force across the Mississippi River.
After crossing, Grant realized that he had to control Jackson, the
capital of Mississippi, before he could get to his destination. It was an
important railway center which could help move troops and supplies
to Vicksburg. On May 14, 1863, he took the city. Before it was
captured though, Confederate General Joe Johnston sent a message to
General Pemberton in Vicksburg. He wanted them to cede the city
and retreat so the Confederate force there would not be captured.
General Pemberton was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He
agreed with Johnston's evaluation of the situation, but he also had
direct orders from President Davis to hold the city. He chose to obey
his orders at first but then decided it might be better to get out. He
moved too late.
As Pemberton was marching south from Vicksburg, he met up with
the Union army. They engaged forces, and the Confederates were
Date _____________________________
soon pushed back. They ended up retreating back to the city, behind
the earthworks they had constructed there. By May 22, the Union
army made ready to siege the city and continued to assault the
defenses.
Grant in turn now had 75,000 men in another 15 miles of trenches
they had dug around the city. No help could reach the city with food
or aid while the Union army barraged it day and night with artillery.
When June 1 came, it was obvious that the city could not hold out
much longer.
While they were assaulting Vicksburg, the Union soldiers were also
building a sap. A sap is a tunnel or trench used by soldiers to avoid
enemy fire while they approach their target. In this case, it was a
large, fortified mound near the city. The Union soldiers dug their mine
right up to it and then, on the afternoon of May 25, it was blown up,
leaving a crater where a fortification had been.
After securing the crater with great loss of life under fire, a new
tunnel was started. This one would lead right up to the side of the fort.
It was exploded on July 1, leaving a large portion of the fort in
disrepair. In the face of such a breech, it was obvious that the Union
had won. Pemberton asked for Grant's terms of surrender.
At first, Grant required an unconditional surrender, but when that was
rejected, he was willing to talk. Finally it was decided that most of the
Confederate soldiers would be paroled after being disarmed. They
would be free to go home, but many broke parole to join up with
forces to the south. On July 4, it was agreed, and almost 30,000
officers and soldiers surrendered. That left the city and civilians in the
hands of the Union.
Less than a week later, Port Hudson to the south fell to Union forces,
and the Union army had control of the Mississippi River all the way to
New Orleans. Grant had achieved his purpose in splitting the two
halves of the Confederacy completely apart.
5. What happened when Pemberton marched his men out of the
city and southward?
Name
Battle of Vicksburg 1863
Questions
1. Why was Vicksburg considered "the key" to winning the Civil
War?
A. It had a strong position on the Mississippi River.
B. It was a major Confederate position.
C. The loop in the river there looked like a lock.
D. It was shaped like a key.
6. What are sappers?
A. Weaklings
B. Miners
C. Tree tappers
D. Those that drink tree sap.
2. Union gunboats could go anywhere on the river.
A. False
B. True
7. The city of Jackson, Mississippi was important because of the
railway.
A. False
B. True
3. Pemberton started to obey his orders to stay at the city and
then changed his mind and tried to leave. What effect, if any,
did this have on the outcome of the battle?
8. General Grant's goal in the Vicksburg campaign was to:
A. Split the Confederacy in half.
B. Beat the Confederate troops there.
C. Control Vicksburg.
D. Control the Mississippi River.
General Grant was determined to get control of the whole Mississippi
River. This would effectively split the Confederacy into two pieces.
How would that affect their ability to fight the war? Essay must be at least
4. What did it mean when Joe Johnston told Pemberton to "cede"
the city?
A. Defend
B. Give up
C. Booby-trap
D. Plant seeds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_JpVW1_4XE
25 words. If you do not do the essay you will have 50 points taken off your grade.
Name
General Pemberton was faced with the decision of obeying an order to
hold the city of Vicksburg or saving his army to fight where he might
be able to win. He chose to obey orders. How would you have handled
the situation?